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Yesterday was day one of my journey into a plant-based diet. I’m not calling it vegan or vegetarian. That sounds too much like I joined a cult.

Expensive

We went to the new health food store near our house. I thought they’d have vegetables and such but it was just a bigger version of every other health food store I’d ever been in. You know, dried over priced, packaged, grains and sea weed. We bought some organic vinegars and soy sauces. I found my favorite pickles, Bubbies. They had Kosher Dills and bread and butter chips. We got both. I got a honey lemon-aid and Darlene got a regular. I did find black and white Quinoa and a couple of different rice mixtures, nothing special and it was 75 freak’n dollars. Looks like the transition to a complete organic diet is going to be delayed for a while.

Lunch

I had Red Quinoa for lunch seasoned with soy sauce and rice vinegar. I was satisfied then, I’m not so sure I can speak for another round today. I do drink a lot of water, which seems to help fill me up.

Dinner

I tried to be interesting for dinner. I fried egg plant slices in my newly acquired toasted sesame oil with sweet onions in rings and a clove or two of garlic. I arranged a nice bed of alfalfa sprouts on a plate covered with rocket arugula leaves as a nest for my eggplant. After pulling the eggplant from the skillet (possibly a little to late) I added the remainder of the Quinoa I had for lunch to the hot pan with the onions. I tossed those around a little and seasoned everything with tamari sauce and plated it. The meal was ok, but neither of us went for more and Darlene didn’t eat all of her onions. I finished the meal with a pot of hot tea. I was far from full, but not hungry either. I didn’t photograph the process or the final product because I was embarrassed.

Conclusion

I conclude that there must be better, more satisfying plant-based dishes out there and I intend to find them. If you have a special sauce or dressing for your greens, please let me know. I don’t want to sound like a whiner but I’m pissed that the system has screwed up everything, even eating, and that I have to forage for food that won’t poison me or clog my arteries. I’m in the first stage of grieving but I’ll get better. Hang in there with me, I’ll still be looking for interesting meat recipes, I’m just trying to correct for years of improper diet right now. – jughandle

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa)

If you aren’t familiar with Quinoa you are in for a treat.

Quinoa is a grain from South America that can be prepared like rice. Unlike rice, Quinoa is a whole balanced protein and is high in fiber and is gluten-free. In its raw state it can be spouted in as little as 2-4 hours activating its natural enzymes and multiplying its vitamin content.

To prepare Quinoa buy the pre-rinsed variety which has the hull or saponins removed. Rinse the grain briefly in cold water. Cook as you would rice. One cup of grain for 2 cups of water or other favored liquid, such as stock or even vegetable juice. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook 10 -15 minutes or until the germ separates from the seed.

With any satisfying meal it is important to not only have good flavors, but combine different textures and even different temperatures. The crunch of the pepper with the mouth texture of the quinoa and the spice of the tomato mixture and topping provide depth of flavor, texture and spice that is hard to find in any dish. For a whole meal serve with a cold tossed salad. This recipe is an original Fat Farm creation. Let me know what you think. – jug

3. Stir in kidney beans, quinoa, carrots, and 2 cups water. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. Stir in 1 cup crumbled extra firm tofu. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Cut the top off of each bell pepper and with a spoon remove the seeds and as much of the white membrane as possible, then rinse. Fill each bell pepper with heaping amount of the quinoa mixture, and place in baking dish. Cover with foil, and bake 1 hour. Uncover, top with 1 T of tomato spread and bake 15 minutes more, or until tops of stuffed peppers are browned. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer stuffed peppers to serving plates, and sauce each with seasoned pan juices before serving.

*This topping can be cheese which would be very tasty but would change the dish from vegan to vegetarian. For my vegan friends, Tofutti brand foods have some acceptable dairy substitutes. Try the health food section of Whole Foods or your local store.

These stuffed peppers can be made and frozen for several months. Frozen peppers make a very fast meal, just put in a 350 deg oven for 30 mins or until completely heated through. – jughandle